Standard approaches to testing web servers involve creating scripts using a programming language and using a driver program to run these scripts to test a server. A disadvantage to this approach is that the individuals who are testing the web server must be competent in using a programming language.
Another approach involves the capture of traffic between a user and the server. This captured script can be then used to load test the web server by running multiple simultaneous instances using a driver program. Programs that implement this approach include LoadRunner and Astra SiteTest. This approach has a number of disadvantages. Firstly it can be difficult to thoroughly test a server as the script when used by multiple instances is unchanged, therefore only one type of user is tested. Secondly, a problem arises if the server to be tested requires unique data, for example unique simultaneous users. The only way for this approach to overcome the difficulty is by capturing multiple user sessions and having each instance use the script from a different session. This can be time-consuming for the user.